Your Love Is A Shadow
by xlostwithoutyou
Summary: What was his problem anyways? She was Lea Michele, she didn't need a man to be happy! Love can be cruel. Cory is angry for some reason and Lea wants to know why. Monchele story.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** WOW. It has been quite a while since I updated any of my stories, much less write for a new fandom! Yes, this is my first sortofkindof Glee fic. But it is about Lea Michele & Cory Monteith, not Finchel - though I do love them dearly and will post a story about them soon - and basically starts when a few weeks after every noticed there was like, absolutely no pictures or anything of them together. I still have to get my timeline right, I'm still working on it, so I'm sure by the time I post the first actual chapter - _if _I get enough reviews, that is - I'll let you guys know when this actually takes place! Okay. The stuff in the italics, that's a flashback. This is just a prologue, very short and (not really) sweet. ;) hope you like it! Review if you do! Wooo!

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**Your Love Is A Shadow.**

It's been two weeks. Two weeks and three days since they last talked. Well, aside from their scenes together, of course. He was still mad and she was too stubborn to give in first. She still didn't understand, she didn't give out _that_ much, no one has a clue what happened off-set.

She sighed as she sat in her car, leaning her head against the steering wheel. What a completely unnecessary mess!

Her mind swam with thoughts of her upcoming –and very busy- schedule, but she couldn't focus, for her thoughts went to _him _once again, as always. She couldn't stop thinking of their fight…

_"But I don't understand what the problem is!" She trailed after him in the long hallway, her short legs struggling to keep up with his long strides._

_"It's not a pr-" He almost shouted, but then sighed, stopping right in front of her door to look at her. "Just – forget it."_

_She began to grow frustrated and almost stomped her foot, Rachel Berry style. Why was he being so cold to her?_

_"Don't ignore me! We need to talk about this!"_

_She continued to follow him into her bedroom, sitting down on her bed as she watched him fumble through her dresser._

_When he ignored her again, she huffed, "Cory!"_

_Sensing an angry lecture, Cory sighed again, turning towards her, "I just came here to get some things, Lea. I don't have time to talk right now."_

_She crossed her arms in annoyance. "Don't give me that! You're plane doesn't leave until tonight!"_

_He stuffed a few of his shirts in his green duffel bag. "I still have a few places to go."_

_This time she did stomp her foot in frustration. She hated to be ignored and he knew it. Damn him._

_She left the room, entering the kitchen and sitting on a chair, silently fuming._

_After a few minutes pass, she heard him closing the door and straightened up in her seat when he walked toward the door to leave._

_When he saw her sitting in the chair, still obviously pouting, he silently gestured for her to follow him._

_She really didn't want to, but he was going to be gone for a few days and she didn't want him to leave in the middle of a fight with her._

_He set his bag on the concrete outside and she leaned against the doorframe._

_He finally spoke, "I don't wanna leave like this."_

_She uncrossed her arms. "Me neither."_

_"I guess I'm just in a bad mood." He looked into her eyes. "It's been a rough couple of weeks, you know?"_

_She nodded, still a little angry._

_As if reading her mind, he reached his hand out to cup her cheek. "I'm sorry." He said sincerely and she believed him, nodding again._

_He looked at his watch. "I really have to go now, but we'll talk when I get back, okay? I promise."_

_He kissed her forehead as she whispered "okay", leaning into his touch._

_"I'll call you when I get there." He told her, grabbing his bag and walking to his car._

Lea pulled herself out of the memory with a groan. So much for a promise. He had gotten back from Canada a week and a half ago and they _still_ haven't talked. She would've done something by now but she –_both_ of them- were just so busy these days.

Lea's schedule was exploding with events to attend, Glee, songs to record in the studio, dance rehearsal, award shows, interviews… And while it was fun and she loved it all,… she really missed doing it with him.

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**A\N: **And that's it for now! Tell me what you think! :)


	2. Part One

**A\N: **Alright, here is the first real chapter, which means way longer (I guess). I would've updated sooner but I've had a lot of family stuff going on, so hopefully writing will help me get through it. I hope you guys like it! I only got 4 reviews but I got _tons _of story alerts, so thanks. & Thanks to my own Naya Rivera for reading & making sure it's good (: I love you girl!

This chapter takes place in 2009, when the Glee cast went to Borders to sign CDs, I'm guessing. It revolves around the two pictures of Cory & Lea holding hands.

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**Your Love Is A Shadow**

_November 9th, 2009. _

Lea's back slammed against the door with a thud and she giggled like a love struck school girl as Cory's tongue tickled her neck. Her hands clutched his hair almost painfully when he bit the smooth skin.

When she couldn't take it anymore, she pulled his head up to crush her lips to his, her hands flying to his belt, and then they ran up his chest, the feeling giving him goose bumps.

"You're wearing _way _too much clothing," Lea muttered as she frantically got rid of his shirt, groaning loudly when she saw his tank top.

He chuckled at her impatience and she huffed, crossing her arms. "You're ruining the moment."

"This is supposed to be a moment?" He asked. "I tell you how good you look in those boots and you attack me in the elevator?"

She scoffed, walking away from him and into the kitchen. "I did not attack you. Besides," She reached in her refrigerator for a water bottle and took a long sip. Their make out session still had her a little flustered and her lips were tingling with longing. But then she saw him lick his lips when her shirt raised, showing a small sliver of her toned stomach and she smirked. "I bet tons of people have had sex in that elevator."

Just hearing her say that word, so casually, made him lick his lips again and he made his way over to her, his large hands gripping her tiny waist.

She glanced down at his pants, then back at him again, her eyes understanding. And without a word, their lips mashed together once more.

**… … …**

"Oh my God," She gasped as he collapsed next to her.

"I know," He replied, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Oh my God," She repeated, her chest still heaving with excitement. "That was…"

"The best you ever had?"

She sent him a glare. "Don't push it, conceited."

He laughed loudly, the bed vibrating. "It was."

Rolling her eyes, she looked up at the ceiling. "Guys are such pigs."

"Hey, I'm not that bad." The offended way he said it made her turn her head to look at him curiously. He took a chance and reached out to her bare shoulders. "It's not like I don't care about you."

Their eyes locked and she felt herself being sucked in.

Then she noticed the time on the big digital clock behind him and practically jumped out of bed.

"We gotta go! We have that CD signing today!"

**… … …**

Feeling a vibration in her pocket, Lea dug her phone out of her pocket.

So where does this leave us? The text message read and Lea lifted her head and was surprised to see Cory staring at her from across the limo's backseat.

She quickly looked back down. I don't know, she texted back. She really had no clue.

Together?

She sighed, typing a quick, reluctant reply.

I have a boyfriend, remember? Well, she did have Theo but they were always on and off and as of three months ago, they were definitely off. But they never officially broke up. They were just taking a break.

She flinched at his next reply. I didn't until now.

Before she could text a reply, Dianna laughed next to her. "Are you guys texting each other? You both have your phones out and look like you've seen a ghost."

They all laughed, Cory and Lea looking at each other uneasily. She decided not to text him back, mainly because she didn't want Mark and Dianna getting any more suspicious and she honestly didn't know what to say.

But then her phone buzzed again. She looked in Cory's direction so she could send him a warning with her eyes but to her surprise, he was still texting away.

Curious, she got out her phone again and read the next text.

Soo… you wouldn't mind if I innocently flirted with Dianna?

Lea furrowed her eyebrows in frustration, her head quickly snapping up when she heard Dianna explode with laughter.

She was looking at her phone.

"Cory, that is so gross!" She giggled, "who sent you that?"

Cory's grin was huge as he eyed a fuming Lea. "One of my roommates sent it."

"I wanna see!" Mark grabbed Dianna's phone, earning a shrill "Mark!" from the blonde.

As she went on about how her phone was brand new and very expensive, Lea glared at a still smirking Cory and mouthed, _not fair._.

Still mad when they arrived at the CD signing, Lea got out of the car without a word to any of them.

Cory stopped her before she could walk inside the building.

"Lea, you know I was just playing with you. I don't have feelings for Dianna."

"And you shouldn't have feelings for me." She continued walking but he stopped in front of her.

"And if I do?"

She stared at him, then –to his surprise- laughed. "Yeah, right. Dude, you're like my brother."

"Do you sleep with all of your brothers?" He asked harshly, immediately regretting it.

Her jaw dropped in shock and hurt, her eyes filling with unwanted tears. It wasn't her fault, it just… happened.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Lea, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. It's just… Why don't we _try_ to be together? Who knows, you might like it."

Was he being serious? She couldn't tell as a smile slowly formed on his face and he held his phone up to her.

"I'll let you read the dirty joke," He teased, "I know how much you secretly love them."

She couldn't help but laugh loudly and smile at the sight of his dimples.

For a moment, as Cory laughed with Lea, her long brown hair flowing down in waves, her perfect teeth shining as she smiled widely, he was captivated by her beauty.

Their eyes locked, their laughter dying down, her smile gone, replaced by a scared, curious expression as he slowly moved closer to her and brought a hand to her cheek.

"You're so damn beautiful," He breathed, caressing her face.

Chills traveled down her spine at his touch and she brought herself closer to him, the very small space between their bodies seemed to sizzle with electricity. Lea could feel the heat radiating from Cory's body and she was sure he could feel it too. She knew it was wrong, her and Theo weren't officially broken up, but… something with Cory felt right. When his fingers ran through her hair and their lips collided, it was like something that was missing before clicked into place.

What was it? Infatuation? Chemistry? Love?

"Lea! Cory!"

They jumped at the noise, separating as Dianna appeared.

"There you are!" She said, hands on her hips. "We have fans waiting for Finn and Rachel, let's go!"

When Dianna turned to lead them to their seats, Cory leaned into Lea. "Have I mentioned how much I love those boots?"

Rolling her eyes, Lea shoved him playfully. "Come on." She said, annoyed, but smiling and taking his hand.

After that day, fans and reporters and even paparazzi exploded with excitement and curiosity at the sight of their two favorite tv show characters holding hands on their way to the signing table. What did this mean? Were they together? Or just really close? Best friends? Or boyfriend and girlfriend? Finchel fans wished it was the latter, of course, no one could deny the obvious chemistry.

But when the reporters asked, they both just laughed in surprise. "It's funny how many people think that," Cory said with ease, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.

When asked, soon to be Hollywood's next It girl, Lea Michele always answered with the same thing: "He's like my brother."

People didn't know what to think. They both didn't _deny _the rumor, but they weren't giving anything away. Until hopeful fans began pointing out Cory's sneaky smile and the loving glances Lea gave him.

Glee was a great show, but now it seems there are more interesting things going on off-set then on.

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**A\N: **Review pwease? :) it would certainly cheer me up!


	3. Part Two

**Your Love is A Shadow.**

**A\N: **Woo! Thank you guys for the reviews! I may have only gotten ten (which is still good for me!:) but I got soo many subscribers, which is awesome! So thanks so much! I'm glad you like this! It's fun to write this story! :D and don't worry, I know where I'm going with this, so the updates shouldn't take _that _long (:

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Exiting the small café, Lea grabbed her phone from out of her bag, grumbling with irritation as she readjusted the strap. She groaned in annoyance once she saw that she had three missed calls and eight text messages. But once she saw who it was that called her, she anxiously got in her car, pressing her phone against her cheek.

When a hesitant "Hello?" sounded in her ear, she willed herself to relax. She sunk lower into the seat.

"Hey," She greeted, forgetting about their fight and saying shyly, "I miss you."

"I – I miss you too." She closed her eyes, hoping that he knew automatically that she was sorry for the way she had acted before he left.

"Sorry I called so much, but-"

"It's okay," She dismissed it quickly, her bad mood gone. "I was just in the middle of an interview."

He muttered "sorry" again and it was quiet. She contemplated on asking him what was wrong; he seemed to be in a foul mood.

"So… why'd you call? Are you coming home soon?" _Home to me_, she added in her head.

"We need to talk," He said, his voice serious.

That worried her. He hardly ever used that tone unless something bad had happened.

"Cory? What happened? Is everything okay?"

At his silence, she began to get more worried. This was _not _good. "Cory, you're freaking me out. What's wrong?"

He released a loud, slow sigh. "… I think we should… take a break."

It went quiet again and all you could hear was the sound of each other's unsteady breathing.

A break? She thought, from _what_? Then she gasped as the realization hit her.

He wanted a break from _her._

"You – I – n-no. No!" She stuttered. "_No_."

He sighed again. "Lea…"

"No!" She interrupted, clutching her phone, her tone now angry. "Why—why would you want that? Everything was good between us and now you want to go and mess it up!"

"Lea, I-"

"Is there someone else?" She questioned, somewhat knowingly, hoping there wasn't. "Just tell me because I really would not like to waste my time-" Her voice cracked, "wondering what went wrong. So, please," She begged, swiping away a tear. "_Is _there?"

What he said next surprised her.

"You have a boyfriend."

_What?_

"Cory, how many times have we been over this? Theo is my cover. You know it, I know it and he knows it."

He sounded frustrated. "I don't understand _why _we need to use him."

Her jaw dropped in disbelief. "You were the one who didn't want to go public in the first place!"

He groaned and she could picture him throwing his hands up.

She refused to give up. _He _was the one acting ridiculous.

"Okay, fine, you know what? There _is _someone else."

The blow hit her so harshly, she felt like all the air had left her lungs. She sunk lower in her seat, but then quickly sat up, recognizing his tone.

"You're lying." She said.

"I-I'm serious, Lea. Her name is Hannah." He didn't even hesitate. "I really like her. A lot."

A fresh set of tears ran down her face. "You don't," She whispered, swallowing the lump in her throat. "You don't mean that."

There was silence again and she listened to the sound of his breathing, closing her eyes.

"Yes," He spoke finally, "I do."

Lea held back a sob, but he could tell she was crying. He hated to see her cry. Or in this case, hear her.

"I'm sorry. I – I hope we can still be fr-"

And then she hung up on him.

Hair in her face, she sniffed back even more tears, her fingers shaking as she checked her text messages.

_Lea, good news! Call me when you get this._ – from her manager.

_Hey girl. I'm in the mood for Target! Wanna go? – _from Amber.

_Guess who gets to sing for the lovely Barbara Streisand? Three words: Lea. Freaking. Michele! – _from her manager again.

_Lea! Just heard the good news! I'm sure you have too, but if you haven't, it has something to do with the superbowl! ;) I'm so proud of you! _– from Dianna.

She gasped in surprise as she read the four remaining texts from Cory.

_Hey. I need to talk to you._

_You there? It's really important._

_Okay, so I get why you're probably avoiding me, but… I think we should-_

_Crap! I forgot you had that interview. My bad. You know what? Forget what I said. I'll just tell you when I get back._

He wanted to break up with her over a _text message_? What the fuck? She thought to herself. Cory isn't the kind of person to do that. He's sweet and considerate and tall and dorky and…

The tears coursed down her face freely, stopping at her chin and falling on her lap. She looked around with a blurry vision and shakily dialed a number she knew by heart, her breaths coming in short gasps.

"Hello?"

She couldn't help it. She sobbed into the speaker, her heart clenching in pain.

"Lea? What happened, honey? What's wrong?"

She continued to cry into the phone, trying desperately to get some words out. "I just – can't – I can't be by myself. Please. I can't drive right now," She began to cry harder when the soothing voice on the other end spoke to her sweetly.

"Okay, where are you? I'm coming."

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**A\N: **Sorry it's so short and I left you with a cliffhanger! It's mean, I know! But I think you guys will likey the next chapter! ;) review if you want it!


	4. Part Three

**A\N: **See? I told you it wouldn't take _that_ long to update! Normally I take a month! :p Anyways, I should probably let you guys know that this story goes in a certain order: first chapter - present, second chapter - flashback, third chapter - present, fourth chapter - flashback and so on. But all of the flashback chapters won't be in order. The present chapters will be, of course.

Thanks to all of those people who took their time to review and even if you didn't, thanks for subscribing! :)

And last but not least, thank you to my amazing Naya for going over this chapter for me, as always ;)

Oh, and if there's any Gilmore Girl fans that read this, you'll probably notice the little bit of dialogue I put in here :D

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**Your Love is A Shadow**

**September, 2009.**

"Wakey wakey!"

Cory groaned as the happy and chipper voice of a way-too-hyper Lea Michele rang in his ear. "Cory?"

He flipped around to his stomach, burying his head under the pillow, his phone still pressed against his cheek. "It is too early for life," He muttered.

"Oh, suck it up! We have a five o'clock flight; I let you sleep for fifteen more minutes!"

"Oh, gee, thanks." He mumbled sarcastically.

"If you don't get up right now, I will not let you sit next to me," She threatened.

"I thought you were sitting with Dianna and Amber.."

"I can make an exception."

"And what makes you think I want to sit with you?"

He chuckled at her gasp.

"Well!" She huffed and he could easily picture her crossing her arms. "I am offended and I am hanging up now. Get ready!"

Still chuckling, he set the phone back on his bedside table, swinging his legs off the bed.

As he locked his apartment, his bags in tow, he laughed out loud to himself. He was going to freaking Australia! And even better, he was going with all of his new best friends. Especially Lea. Could life get any better? He was on an amazing (he knew people would love it, there was no way they _couldn't_) television show and he had _all _of these great friends and life was just so amazing right now.

And as he made his way to the airport, he practiced his Australian accent.

**… … …**

When Cory arrived to find his favorite group of people, everyone erupted into loud cheers, ignoring the angry glares of the security guards. There wasn't _that _many people around…

He bumped fists with Mark and Kevin, joked with Chris and Amber and hugged Dianna.

Once the blonde left to join Jenna (who he had also hugged) his most favorite person walked over to him, hands on her hips.

"Well, well. Look who showed up _last_."

"Okay, you've made your point." He grinned back stupidly as she beamed and threw herself at him.

She hopped up and down and everyone cheered again once their flight time was announced.

As they made their way, Cory chatted with Mark and Kevin, hardly paying attention because Lea was right in front of him and she was wearing shorts and oh, she just turned her head to smile at him.

When he smiled back (so much smiling today!) she turned back to link her arm with Dianna and the other girls.

He didn't know what it was about his small co-star with a killer voice, but she intrigued him and he wanted to know everything about her. They were already pretty close but Cory couldn't help but wish they were more.

**… … …**

"Would you two stop? You're making me sick."

Lea looked more amused than offended. "Chris, we're not doing anything!"

"Yet." Chris winked and they all laughed.

"Stop," Lea finally said, "I'm just getting comfortable."

She wiggled her legs that were lying across Cory's lap to emphasize her point. "Besides, you know I have a boyfriend."

Cory tensed and everyone –besides Lea- in the room noticed. Everybody knew Cory had a thing for Lea and vice-versa, they just didn't admit it.

The room went quiet after that and then Amber said something about instead of exploring Australia, they had just chilled in Dianna and Lea's hotel room. And soon everyone was laughing and joking again.

Well, except for Cory.

Aggravated, he pushed Lea's legs off of his lap.

As he made his way over to the balcony, Lea called out to him: "Where are you going?"

He didn't bother turning around. "Out."

"Wait," He heard her struggle to get up, untangling herself from the blanket she had been wrapped in. "I'll come with you."

Cory was leaning against the railing, looking out into the dark blanket that covered the sky. He felt her presence next to him, silently staring at him with concern. "Hey, what's wrong?"

The words _"besides, you know I have a boyfriend" _echoed in his mind and he turned abruptly, startling her by his angry expression. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" She paused. "About Theo?"

Theo.

_Theo._

Sounds gross.

"Whatever." He grumbled, turning back to the beautiful scenery of Australia. "You never told me you had a boyfriend."

"I-I didn't think of it," She looked down at her hands.

"Sounds like you guys are close," He muttered sarcastically.

Her head snapped back up at his comment, glaring at him. This was weird, she thought, he was never in a bad mood around her. "We are! We've been together for a year and a half!"

At his scoff, she drew back, irritated. "Okay, _what _is your problem?"

"Nothing, I'm just surprised you didn't tell me."

"Uh, well I'm sorry-"

"I thought we were closer than that."

Her annoyance with him grew but she was also annoyed with herself. Why _didn't_ she tell him? She'd rather not think about it.

But he was looking at her, waiting for a reply or explanation.

"We-we are." Se stammered, looking down again at her folded hands.

"I mean," He continued, "when we first met and we just… looked at each other it felt like I've known you my entire life a-and all those other times we hung out, there was a moment, I _thought _there was a moment."

"There was!" She blurted. Uh oh. What was she saying? She wasn't supposed to say that!

They stared at each other, their eyes wide in shock.

Lea's head pounded. What did this mean?

"Wait a minute," She finally said and her eyebrows rose. "Do-do you _like_ me?"

"Of _course _I like you!" He almost shouted then he groaned. "God, that took me so damn long to tell you!"

Lea, not expecting that at _all_, widened her eyes. "Cory-"

She jumped when he placed his large hands on her face, a tingle running up her spine at the contact. What was happening?

"I've… liked you ever since the day we met."

When his hands gently caressed her cheek, she unknowingly moved closer until there was no space between them. "But I-we-"

"Shh," He interrupted his pointer finger on her lips. He gave her a little smirk. "Don't ruin the moment."

"And then he kissed me."

Dianna's face lit up. "Really? Oh my good-"

Lea clamped her hand on her mouth. "Shh! I don't want anyone to know!"

"Lea, everyone's in their hotel room," Dianna said, rolling her eyes when she shook her head.

"Yeah, but still!"

"Anyways!" Dianna squealed. "You kissed! Oh my goodness!"

Lea smiled, touching her still tingling lips. "It was amazing, D. I feel like I'm in high school again with my first crush. I've never… I've never been so attracted to someone before."

"So what happened after that?"

"He held my hands and kissed my cheek. I just stood there and said 'wow' like an idiot."

Dianna nodded understandingly. "Where does that leave you?"

"I don't know," Lea shrugged, "Kevin came outside after that."

"Well what do you _want _to happen?"

"I don't know."

"What about Theo?"

"I-I don't know," Lea said in horror. How awful! She hadn't even thought of her boyfriend when Cory kissed her. "I don't know, I don't know!"

"Okay, calm down," Dianna soothed in her sweet voice. "You don't have to figure this all out now."

"But what am I gonna do? What am I gonna say to him tomorrow!" Lea groaned, flopping down on her bed. "I need more time!"

Dianna thought for a moment, then lay down next to her, both of them looking at the ceiling.

"I got it. Since we have such a busy schedule tomorrow, there won't be time to talk! Just stick with me."

Lea sighed in relief, grabbing her friend's hand. "Oh, good idea, thank you."

Dianna smiled, squeezed her hand and made her way to the door, her hand above the light switch. "Okay, I need sleep! Goodnight, Child Star." She winked.

Lea smiled in the darkness. "Night, Lady D."

**… … …**

The weeks the Glee cast spent in Australia went by slowly. They toured the continent, well, as much as they could anyway and did interview after interview, photo-shoot after photo-shoot, some alone, some paired up and some with the whole group. They signed autographs, wide and flattered smiles on their faces.

"And only one episode has aired! We're hardly even famous!" Chris has said in grateful disbelief while signing someone's glasses.

People asked about their character and what exactly the show was about.

"It's about a Glee club," Kevin explained.

"And it's rise to success," Amber added with a smile.

"But it takes a looong time for that," Mark joked.

Lea had successfully avoided Cory, only muttering a few incoherent words to him when he had asked if she wanted to go shopping with them.

But now she had no choice.

Lea and Cory had been called in for two interviews together and she would not be able to have Dianna or anyone else with her.

Crap, she thought while she uncomfortably sat in the car with him, we've been so busy I haven't had time to think of what I should do!

Once they arrived and the interviewers greeted them warmly, Cory exclaiming "Your accents are so cool!" Lea calmed down a little.

It's just Cory, she thought.

And as they continued with the interview, she found herself laughing and joking around with him. Ugh, how could she forget how _easy _it was to get along with him? Lea spoke and answered questions with enthusiasm, a smile never leaving her face as she joked that she wouldn't mind seeing young girls or young boys ripping Cory's clothes off.

"Wow," Cory grinned.

She giggled incessantly when the interviewer had asked if Cory… well, you know.

"What do you think, Lea Michele?" Cory asked.

"I-you know… Cory-Cory's a bit of a rugged guy," She started and at his loud, booming laughter, she continued, looking at him, "can't you tell by the scruff he's rocking today?"

They flirted shamelessly, and afterwards did a photo-shoot together. They were both very touchy-feely kind of people, their friends and fans noticed.

"Can they ever keep their hands to themselves?" Chris asked, disgusted but amused nonetheless.

The time Lea spent with Cory made her happy and there was non-stop laughter. And he had this way of looking at her… as if she were perfect and the only person in his world. She liked it. It made her feel… special.

And so, as they drove to the airport to return to the US, her small hand in his, she looked over to him and he smiled.

_God_, she thought, blushing, _that crooked smile is going to kill me._

After talking about how amazing their experience in Australia was, Cory, after slightly hesitating, asked her where exactly they stood with each other.

"I like you." Lea admitted shyly, peeking up to look at him, a small smile on her face. "A lot."

Cory nodded and his grin widened. "Do you want to play the newlywed game again?"

Laughing, she said "yes" and they asked ridiculous and silly questions about each other until they arrived at the airport.

"Okay, we are ten minutes early, so I guess we just chill here." Amber told the group.

"Lea," Cory called out, smiling. "Come here."

He took her hand and dragged her away from their friends.

When she stared at him, he ran his hands up and down her arms, his voice low. "I just… I just wanted to do this before we go back."

Once his lips touched hers, her arms wrapped around his neck automatically and she squealed with excitement when his grip on her waist tightened and he pulled her closer.

When he pulled away, she pecked him on the lips once, twice, three more times, loving the feel of his soft skin.

And they made their way back to their group, their swinging, clasped hands in between them.

**… … …**

"Hey."

"Hey you." Lea smile into the phone. "What's up?"

"The cast is going out tonight. Want to come?"

Lea's smile widened. "Of course I do! I don't know where Dianna went, but I'll call her."

"Do you want me to come pick you guys up?"

"That would be great. I'm sure she'll just meet us there."

"Awesome. I can't wait to see you."

She laughed loudly. "Cory, I just saw you yesterday!"

"Yeah, so?"

She sighed happily, hanging up the phone after calling Dianna and telling her what restaurant to meet them at.

Once Cory picked her up, he kissed her on the cheek and they chatted about anything and everything.

Lea didn't know _exactly _what they were but she knew that she loved being so… close to him.

Laughing at some pathetic joke he had told her, her phone vibrated in her jean pocket and she answered it without bothering to look at the caller, still laughing. "Hello?"

"Hey baby."

Oh God.

"Theo!" She exclaimed in true surprise and out of the corner of her eye she saw Cory's eyebrows rise. "Hi."

"I miss you so much," The voice on the other end said.

Mouth hanging open, she hesitated, not knowing what to do. "I-I miss you, too."

She squeezed her eyes shut when she saw Cory's hands tighten on the steering wheel.

This was _not _good.

* * *

**A/N: **Review if you be wanting moreeeeee! ;)


	5. Part Four

**Your Love is a Shadow**

**A\N: **I know this is totally late but it's not like I have a lot of people wanting to read it, right? :p

Okay, remember, this chapter is set in the present. (:

. . .

His hand came up to wipe her face again and she sniffled miserably. With all the tears she had cried tonight, she felt as if her eyes were permanently dry. No matter how many times her best friend crooned "it's okay" to her, she would not stop whining.

Finally, the anger came and she exploded, rising from his couch, "but it's _not _okay, is it?"

At her best friends surprised expression, Lea's shoulders slumped and she sat back down, her voice quieter. "Jon, I still have to_ work _with him. How the hell do I do that? How am I supposed to say – even _look _at him knowing he loves another girl?"

Ryan had warned her about this. But that's when she thought they would never break up, I mean, why would they? They were together all the time, unlike her and Theo.

"Come on, Diva. Don't cry."

She smiled at the nickname, despite the tears that began spilling over once again. Ever since people had been calling her a diva –because they thought she was rude and bossy- Jonathan had laughed at that and teased her about it to no end.

"I can't stop," she said, "I want to, but I can't."

She knew she was stronger than this. She was. But… just knowing that _he _wanted to break up with her _over the phone _and because he met someone else just made her want to curl up in a ball and wail.

"Dammit!" She thought to herself, not even noticing she had said it out loud. She furiously swiped at her eyes. "I hate feeling so _weak._"

Jonathan sighed as he moved a strand of hair away from her face. "You're not weak," he said, a small frown on his face, "just human."

Lea nodded but groaned "when the tears came yet _again_. "Why does it hurt so much?"

"I don't know," Jon shrugged, "all I know is that he loves you. That's why this is so hard to believe."

"I know," She agreed, shaking her head. "They Cory that broke up with me over the phone… that wasn't my Cory. My Cory wouldn't harm a fly."

Jonathan was silent, thinking hard about what to do with this situation. He never thought Cory would do something like this… he still didn't. He wanted to confront the man himself but how?

"I got it!" He exclaimed suddenly, startling Lea. "How about I come back on the show? Sure, you'll still most likely have scenes with Cory but I'll be there."

His smile faded as her frown didn't change. "Ryan already has the next few episodes written, I don't see how he could fit Jesse in anywhere."

"Well I'll still try!" Jonathan smiled, wrapping his arms around her when she finally smiled back.

He really was her best friend in the whole world.

"Sorry I complained so much."

He laughed and Lea's arms went around him. "It's what I'm here for, Diva."

. . .

**A\N: **I know it's WAY TOO SHORT but the next chapter will be… pretty long (: I'm very very excited about this next one!


	6. Part Five

**Your Love Is A Shadow**

**A\N: **Remember, this chapter is a flashback!

**. . .**

_His mother had given him the talk (no, not _that_ talk) about women and how exactly to treat them at an early age._

"_You gotta learn to listen," She started and Cory, only being fifteen and careless had just rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Cory! It's important to understand her thoughts and feelings!"_

_Young Cory heaved a deep sigh, leaning further into the couch as his mother continued to lecture him. A small part of him actually bothered to listen and pay attention._

"_It's also important to be friends with her first. I mean, so she'll trust you and learn to love you."_

"Cory, this is our Rachel Berry, Lea Michele."

Lea's eyes roamed up and down his body and her gaze landed on his, their chocolate brown eyes meeting for the first time.

Her mouth opened slightly but no words came out. His stare was so mesmerizing. His eyes bore into hers, as if silently trying to tell her something; he sent shivers up her spine and damn, his eyes just permanently paralyzed her.

What the hell was happening?

"_Always stare into a girls eyes," His mother droned on, "it lets her know you're interested in what she's saying."_

"_What if we're not saying anything?" Fifteen year old Cory smirked._

_He sunk lower into his seat when she sent him a scary glare._

"Hi Rachel, it's nice to meet you, I'm Finn." Cory held his hand out to her, a serious expression on his face.

Lea busted out laughing, her hand going to her mouth in shock at how loud the sound was.

She immediately stopped when his expression didn't change. "Oh, um –"

But then his lips curled into this adorable half smile, his dimples showing and she began laughing again, returning his smile, dimples also indenting her cheeks.

"_Humor. Girls love it and guys want girls to have it."_

_Cory nodded. He could totally handle that._

"_And, considering you're a goofball," His mother ruffled his hair affectionately, ignoring his slight protest of "mom! Not cool!" she continued, "I say you'll be just fine with that part."_

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Michele," Cory took her hand, kissing it.

Lea's mind was running. This guy gets to play my supposed love interest? Hell yes! He's adorable! And so cute. Could I be any luckier?

Meanwhile Cory's mind was blown. She's so… tiny! But hot. Really hot. She seemed to like him too, which was good, he thought with a grin.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Mr. Monteith."

She had the brightest, prettiest smile he had ever seen and her whole face just lit up. She had a slightly bigger nose than he usually saw on girls, but it fit her face right and even though they were meeting for the first time, he couldn't imagine it being any different.

"You're very small," He blurted out on accident but he stuttered quickly after, "I – I mean that in a good way!"

She giggled, "it's okay! I like being small. You're very," Her eyes went up and down again, "tall. Freakishly tall."

Cory chuckled, the sound deep and sexy. Lea shivered. "Uh, thanks."

"Oh, I didn't mean it in a bad way," She winked.

Shaking his head, Cory smiled down at her.

And in that small moment, they both knew they would become very close friends.

"_Flirting can be fun," Cory's mom shrugged, "but sometimes there is a limit. You don't want to go too far with certain women; some might take it the wrong way."_

Ryan had gathered the entire cast-and most of the crew- together and they had all taken up almost the entire restaurant. The loud chatter and laughter coming from the very large group had some people around them either getting up and leaving early or looking at them with curiosity.

Cory talked to Mark and Kevin, getting to know them both better – but… he kept getting distracted by Lea, who was sitting across from him and she would glance at him often.

At one point he faced her and tried to attempt a conversation but she wouldn't stop talking to Dianna. He could tell they were becoming good friends already, giggling as Lea reached over to Dianna's plate and took some of her food.

Cory tried to get her attention by catching her when she kept looking at him but her gaze didn't last long enough.

Later that evening, the young cast lounged in Lea's hotel room (hers was the largest) still talking and laughing, as if they had all known each other their entire lives.

Lea spent most of the night talking to Dianna and Chris while Cory spent most of his time talking to Mark and everyone else. Cory wanted so badly to talk to Lea (though he wasn't exactly sure why) but he had been watching her –not in a creepy way- for the last few hours and she seemed like a very cool person. She was quirky and had a different kind of sense of humor than most girls he knew. Her laugh and smile were probably the best things about her so far. When someone would crack a joke (Chris, most of the time) she would break out into this adorable laugh and everyone else around her just had to laugh too. She was fun to be around and very entertaining, that's for sure.

He just couldn't believe he was around all these amazing, talented people. Of course, most of them were a tad bit younger than him (Chris being the baby of the group, Lea and Amber had already teased) but they were all cool people to hang out with and they all seemed to get along just fine, which was good since they were gonna be around each other for a long time.

He was still a little in shock. How had he made it this far? All he did was send in a tape of him drumming on _Tupperware _and sure, they had made him sing, but he wasn't very good at it. Not as good as probably all the people in this room anyway. He briefly wondered what Lea sounded like and remembered that Ryan had told him she had been on Broadway for a long time. So she must be really good to be able to make it on Broadway, right?

"Hey you," Lea greeted happily as she bounced over next to him. "Having fun?"

"Yeah," He nodded, "yeah, it's great."

"I'm sorry I haven't talked to you much," She said sincerely, taking his hand, "you seem like a great person, Cory. _All_ of these people here are."

"They are pretty great." He smiled, poking her in the stomach and causing her to giggle (he couldn't help it okay?). "You're pretty great."

"We don't know each other that well," She mumbled but with a small smile on her face.

"Not yet anyways," He gave her a lopsided grin and she melted at how adorable he was.

"I wish I would've talked to you more tonight," She said, her eyes looking into his.

"Don't worry," He smiled softly, not knowing what this girl he had literally just met hours ago was doing to him, "we have all the time in the world."

_His mother had taught him a lot that day. And young Cory secretly knew it would most likely help in the future anyway. His mom wasn't stupid, she knew what she was talking about._

"_Anyway," His mom sighed, half joking as she patted his leg, "hopefully she's funny and pretty and talented."_

_He smirked, "wouldn't have it any other way, Ma."_

* * *

**A\N: **I know this chapter sucks a lot, but I promise you, the chapter after the next... will be very very very Monchele filled ;) review pweasey!


	7. Part Six

**Your Love Is A Shadow**

**A\N: **I'm slightly still kinda sorta freaking out by the amount of feedback I've gotten for this story. I never thought I would've gotten so many lovely reviews & subscribers! Thank you all so much! Seriously.

Present chapter!

* * *

Lea took a deep breath as her makeup artist finished with her face.

"Thank you," She said, nodding politely when the woman smiled at her.

"Miss Michele, you're on in twenty." Some random person said to her in passing.

Her manager came up to her. "Alright, are you ready?"

Lea nodded. "Yeah. No big deal."

She rolled her eyes when her manager pointed an accusing finger at her. "I can tell when you're lying, missy. Now cheer up! You're singing at the _superbowl_. Do you have any idea how big of a deal that is? And the opportunities that may come from it?"

"That's if you're singing the National Anthem," Lea pointed out.

Her manager frowned. "Don't be so negative!"

Lea heaved a sigh then gave her a wide smile. "You're right, you're right. I'm thankful for having this opportunity. Thankful and grateful. I've just been having a rough few days."

Her manager nodded, patting her shoulders. "We all have them. But right now you need to focus, okay? The last thing you want to do is mess up."

"Oh!" Lea exclaimed, sitting down, "that helps. Thanks."

The older woman winced, "sorry. You'll be great!"

Lea took a deep breath, then got out her phone once she felt it vibrating against her leg. Seeing it was a tweet from Amber, she laughed, tweeting her back and saying she'll be thinking of her when she sang the "amber waves of grain" part.

Seeing that she got another text, she opened the message and rolled her eyes, her heart aching in her chest a little. It was from Cory.

_I know you're upset and pissed off and you don't wanna be friends with me but… that doesn't stop me from being yours. So… good luck out there. You're gonna be amazing. You always are._

Contemplating what she should do, she looked up once she heard her name being called. "Better get out there. You're on in five."

Taking another deep breath, she read Cory's message and, despite her being mad at him, smiled. _And _despite him breaking her heart – Wait! Breaking her heart? She didn't love him!

Did she?

Shaking her head, Lea pushed all thoughts of him to the back of her mind and made her way out to the field.

Cory watched as Lea belted out the final words of America the Beautiful, his eyes never leaving her shining brown orbs full of passion. He was bursting with so much love and admiration for her, he just had to let her know.

As Christina finished the National Anthem, he dug out his phone.

"Fabulous job, my dear! As always!" Her manager patted her on the back and she nodded with a smile, making her way to her seat.

"You were amazing!" Chord told her as she sat.

"Thank you!" She smiled wider.

Chord was a nice guy. He was cute and only two years younger than her. The cast always called him Baby Chord because he was the youngest –well, second to youngest- cast member. But he wasn't really Lea's type. She liked tall guys… with dimples and…

Feeling her phone buzz against her leg again, she reached for it and saw it was from twitter.

**frankenteen: msleamichele you killed it! woo! congrats! :) :)**

She must've had the biggest smile on her face.

"Oh damn."

A few heads turned to her and she flinched as she realized what she said out loud.

"Sorry…" She sunk into her seat, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

Chord leaned into her, speaking lowly, "Lea we made a touchdown…"

"Yay." She said unenthusiastically, frustrated with herself.

Why couldn't she just get over Cory? It's not like they were in a real, legitimate relationship…

Ugh. But she couldn't deny the way he made her feel. The way he looked at her sometimes, as if she were the only thing in his world. The way he touched her, so gently, as if she were a breakable doll. The way he shamelessly flirted with her. The way he smiled at her, his dimples denting his cheeks. The way held her and whispered sweet nothings into her hair at night, making her melt to the floor.

_Well fuck_, she thought to herself with a mental groan as her eyes rolled to the ceiling.

She was in love with Cory Monteith.

* * *

**A\N: **I'm so sorry it's so short & rushed! D: but I promise you guys the next chapter shall be fantabulous! :)


	8. AN

AN: I know it's been forever since I've updated but I have not abandoned this fic. I'm almost done writing it and I know a lot of time has passed because HOLY SHIT CORY AND LEA ARE ACTUALLY TOGETHER AND DATING AND IN LOVE NOW SO WHY DO I EVEN NEED TO WRITE A STORY ABOUT THEM. But I'm going to finish this – just not on fanfiction. I'll be moving the story to livejournal because of reasons. I would've had it up weeks ago already but again, life got in the way, and when I tried to create an account it wouldn't work for me but I FINALLY got it to work today and I am going to post every chapter including new ones on there.

I really appreciate all the people who reviewed and followed this story, so much, you have no idea how much I appreciate it and I hope most of you continue to follow this story on my livejournal :)

if you would like the link to my livejournal to continue reading this story just message me and I'd be happy to send it to you and I'm posting my tumblr on my bio just in case! Thank you all so much for reading!


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